Aaron Brooks

Brooks couldn't have landed in a better spot when he was signed by the Bulls in July. The guard, who's entering his seventh season in the NBA, could be the next in a long line of undersized guards who have thrived in coach Tom Thibodeau's system. Like Nate Robinson and D.J. ...

Brooks couldn't have landed in a better spot when he was signed by the Bulls in July. The guard, who's entering his seventh season in the NBA, could be the next in a long line of undersized guards who have thrived in coach Tom Thibodeau's system. Like Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin before him, Brooks is an offensive-minded player who needs a bit of a career-revival. Unfortunately, he'll likely be pegged as an insurance policy in the event that Derrick Rose or Kirk Hinrich go down. Last year, Brooks played 72 games while splitting time with the Rockets and Nuggets, averaging 9.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 22 minutes per game. When Augustin stepped in for Rose and Hinrich in 2013-14, it filled an enormous void for the Bulls, who were missing someone who could slash and shoot. While Brooks won't be seeing the floor for 30 minutes per game like Augustin did, he'll likely be asked to fill a similar role in shorter spurts. He won't be the most desirable fantasy option heading into the season, but if things break the wrong way for Chicago, Brooks may become a valuable asset as the year plays out.

2012-13

Brooks signed a two-year deal with the Kings after missing the entire 2011-2012 season while playing in China. He will likely begin the season backing up Isaiah Thomas at the point. Brooks brings an offensive combination of scoring, threes, and a handful of assists to the table. A career 41-percent shooter, Brooks is considered a “high-volume scorer,” meaning he would need a lot of opportunities in order to make a significant contribution offensively. That situation won’t present itself on a Kings team chalked full of offensive options. Even if Brooks were to become the starting point guard, he wouldn’t receive anywhere close to the 35-plus minutes per game he averaged during his breakout season with Houston. The Brooks we saw in 2010-2011 is a better resemblance of what we can expect from him this season.

2010-11

Brooks stepped up to fill the void left by Yao Ming's injury and Tracy McGrady's absence, emerging as the Rockets' floor leader and one of the team's top scoring threats. We don't necessarily expect him to score over 19 points per game again – not if the Rockets are at anything approaching full strength. But even as the team transitions back to a more balanced attack with the return of Yao Ming to the lineup and Kevin Martin in town for a full season, Rick Adelman will be glad to know his lead guard has the quickness to get to the lane against just about anybody, and the outside shot (.398 from three-point range) to keep defenses from sagging off and preventing his drives. Assuming Yao is healthy – never a safe assumption, we know – Brooks could see an increase in his three-point opportunities because the big guy is highly skilled at passing out of the double-team and finding open shooters on the perimeter.

2009-10

One of the quickest guards in the league, Brooks really emerged after the trade of Rafer Alston and became a key contributor for the Rockets – his season highlight was a 34-point outburst in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semis against the Lakers. He’ll head into this season as the starter… and on a Rocket team looking badly depleted by injury before the season even begins, could emerge as one of the team’s primary scoring threats. Brooks does seem to have the talent to become a very dangerous scorer, with a pretty credible jump shot (149 threes made last season, at a .366 shooting percentage from long range) to complement his outstanding quickness and a career free-throw percentage over 85 percent. That said, he needs to improve his consistency as a floor general, so he can still be productive even when his shot’s not falling.

2008-09

The lightning quick Brooks can provide some long-range shooting and instant offense, but his skill set won't be needed much with Luther Head and Brent Barry on board. Brooks won't see significant minutes barring a Rafer Alston injury, and even then, it's unclear how the Rockets would address the point-guard situation.

2007-08

The Rockets' first-round draft pick, Brooks is a lightning-quick point guard who's almost impossible to stay in front of. He developed his shot since starting college so much so that he competed in the college three-point shootout. He'll begin the season backing up Rafer Alston and Mike James (and possibly even John Lucas III), but if the Rockets move Alston and/or Lucas, he could see some minutes off the bench as the season goes on.